Rose West | |
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Fred and Rose in the mid 1980s
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|
Born |
Rosemary Pauline Letts 29 November 1953 Northam, Devon, England, UK |
Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment (whole life tariff) |
Spouse(s) | Fred West (1972–1995; his death) |
Conviction(s) | Sexual assault, murder |
Killings | |
Victims | 10 |
Span of killings
|
June 1971 – May 1987 |
Country | England |
Date apprehended
|
April 1994 |
Rosemary Pauline "Rose" West (née Letts; born 29 November 1953) is a British serial killer, now an inmate at HMP Low Newton, Brasside, Durham, after being convicted of 10 murders in 1995. Her husband Fred, who committed suicide in prison while awaiting trial, is believed to have collaborated with her in the torture and murder of at least 9 young women between 1973 and 1987, whereas Rose was judged to have murdered her 8-year-old stepdaughter, Charmaine, in 1971. The majority of these murders were committed at the couple's home in Gloucester, England.
Fred West is known to have carried out 12 murders; Rosemary West had no involvement in the first two.
Rosemary Letts was born in Northam, Devon, to William Andrew "Bill" Letts (25 February 1921– 24 May 1979) and Daisy Gwendoline Fuller (1919–) after a difficult pregnancy. Her mother suffered from depression and was given ECT while pregnant; some have argued that this treatment may have caused prenatal injuries to her daughter. Rosemary grew up into a moody, yet precocious, teenager, prone to daydreaming and who performed poorly at school.
Rosemary's parents split up when she was a teenager. She lived with her mother and attended Cleeve School for six months, later moving in with her father at the age of 16 in Bishop's Cleeve, near Cheltenham; her father, a paranoid schizophrenic, was prone to violence and repeatedly sexually abused her. At the onset of puberty, Rosemary reportedly became fascinated by her developing body, and would purposefully parade naked or semi-naked around the house in the presence of her younger brother, Graham. On numerous occasions, she would also creep into Graham's bed at nightfall, and masturbate him.